ABOUTHEALTHY VALLEY 2000:
HISTORY
ABOUTHealthy Valley 2000 is the first healthy community project in the state of Connecticut and is endorsed by Governor John Rowland, U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman, U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal as well as former Governor Lowell Weicker, and former State Health Commissioner Susan Addiss.
Healthy Valley 2000 was officially launched in October 1994 after more than a year of work and preparation. The project includes the towns of Ansonia, Derby, Shelton, Seymour, Beacon Falls and Oxford located in South Central Connecticut, with a combined population of 96,000 and an area of 100 square miles.
The project was funded in year one by grants of $100,000 from the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven and $37,000 from the Katharine Matthies Foundation in Seymour. Continuation funding has been provided by the same two foundations, Griffin Hospital, First Union Bank and Fusco Corporation. The Valley United Way is the fiduciary agent and provides in-kind support including office space. Griffin Health Services Corporation/Griffin Hospital also provides in-kind services including printing. Numerous other companies and community agencies have provided financial support and in-kind services for specific programs and events.
Management of the project is the responsibility of the Stakeholder Committee, which is comprised of approximately 200 members of the Valley Community representing every cultural, social and regional segment. Four of the six municipal chief elected officials are stakeholders and are actively involved, and the remaining two Mayors participate on request and for specific issues. The National Civic League of Denver, Colorado served as facilitator and consultant to the project in its early stages.
The goal of Healthy Valley 2000 is to make the Valley a better place in which to live, work, raise a family and enjoy life by measurably improving the quality of life and health of the community and its residents. Healthy Valley 2000 will also enhance regional economic development by making the community a better place for businesses to locate and expand and for their employees to live.
The initiative is the most comprehensive community mobilization, planning, needs assessment effort ever undertaken in the community and will result in a blueprint that will guide and position the community in the next century. The Stakeholders have identified Community Health, Economic Development/Jobs, Community Involvement, Arts & Recreation and Education, as Key Performance Areas. Volunteer teams have developed initiatives and work plans related to each Key Performance Area. An additional initiative is the development of the Electronic Valley web site, whose purpose is to link all community sectors and become a new communication and information vehicle for the community. For a more detailed list of the 30 action initiatives, click on the "Initiatives" icon on the Healthy Valley 2000 main page.
A report summarizing results of the research conducted as part of the effort is available under the "Research" icon on the Healthy Valley 2000 main page. The full report includes an Economic, Demographic, Social Profile, a Community Health Profile and a market Research Report summarizing the results of a 420 person community resident survey and a 160 person community leaders survey designed to identify community issues. The report also identifies areas of greatest need and initiatives which would target existing resources and new resources to develop or enhance programs and services to address those needs. The premise is that by identifying areas of greatest need and targeting resources and programs to them, the potential impact and an improved health and quality of life is great.
Healthy Valley 2000 is about mobilizing and engaging the community to identify and solve its problems and to build on existing strengths and resources. Total commmunity involvement is viewed as critical to success and much effort has been committed to communicating to the community. Communication efforts include a formal Annual Report, a periodic newsletter, news releases and speaking engagements.
Several other Connecticut healthy community initiatives are now underway. They include: Healthy Meriden 2000, Healthy 2000-Danbury, Healthy Living Greenwich, A Community Vision for Waterbury, as well as an initiative in Stratford and one in part of Bridgeport being sponsored by Bridgeport Hospital.